Germany's federal commissioner for culture and media, Wolfram Weimer, was heavily criticized recently when he rejected the expansion of the German National Library in favor of digital archiving. Although the former journalist has since indicated that the expansion might proceed, his initial decision has sparked debate about the role of books in a digital world. Today, we are bombarded with text and information. Podcasts, social media posts, comments, emails, the latest online news — everything is immediately available, any time and anywhere. Yet something important is lost amid the digital clutter: The act of deeply engaging with a thought. Unlike the distractions of digital media, a physical book demands attention. It has weight, is larger than a smartphone, does not have to be powered, and its pages cannot be dismissively swiped away. Author and cultural scholar Frank Berzbach describes the special relationship between people and books, which he sees as a mindful alternative to digital media.…